Texas Parks & Wildlife Videos

Gulf & Coastal related videos

Chester Smith looked after the Audubon Society's Sundown Island bird sanctuary in Matagorda Bay for 25 years, helping bring back the brown pelican and attracting thousands of nesting birds. Chester passed away on June 26, 2011. This is his story. http://www.sundownisland.org/aboutus/index.htm

One of the longest outbreaks of Red Tide in Texas history may be letting up in some areas along the coast but not in time to save this season's $30-million dollar Texas oyster industry. The red tide blow comes after 2010's BP oil spill and 2008's Hurricane Ike destroyed 60 percent of the oysters in Galveston Bay. Now the ongoing drought is causing high salinity levels in Texas bays and disease in many shellfish. One shining light - oyster reef restoration efforts continue and unharvested oysters today will have a chance to filter out toxins and spawn in the spring. To learn more about oysters in Texas, see http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/easternoyster/

The Rise of the Forgotten Flounder
This is a story that looks at the Southern Flounder here in Texas. From fishing to gigging to stocking, all things flounder. Texas Parks and Wildlife has started raising Southern Flounder at their coastal hatcheries. This also takes a look at those efforts. Watch the Texas Parks & Wildlife television show.
www.tpwd.state.tx.us/tv

D-Day marked the turning point in World War II. It was also a turning point in the lives of those who were there. Visit with some of the veterans of the Battleship TEXAS as they get together to relive old memories, and rekindle old friendships.

There's a 'flower garden' in the Gulf of Mexico, and it's 60 feet underwater. Learn what the Flower Gardens are, what research scientists are doing at these coral reefs, and why we should be concerned about the garden's health.

[cc] In the 1980s fishing in Lavaca Bay was all but closed when deadly levels of contamination were found in the surrounding waters. Today, over 20 years and $100,000,000 later, the clean-up is almost complete. Discover how government agencies and private industry set aside their differences for the good of the bay.

Galveston Oil Spill Wildlife Impacts
A look at the initial impacts to wildlife along the Texas coast in the days following the March 22, 2014 oil spill in the Houston Ship Channel. People wanting to volunteer to help with clean-up are asked to visit the Central Texas Coastal Area Committee website at http://www.ctcac.us/go/mailinglist/4703

When the weather turns cold for long periods of time, biologists and game wardens prepare for freezing water temperatures to affect wildlife along the coast. In 2011, more than 800 green sea turtles were rescued during one of the longest cold spells in decades in South Texas. The good news is that the large number means that more of the federal and state protected turtles are making their home in Texas bays. Texas Parks and Wildlife has this report. If you see a cold-stunned turtle floating in the water or lying on the shore, it may appear dead but chances are it is not. Experts say you should cover it with a towel and report it to the Sea Turtle Stranding & Salvage Network at 361-949-8173, ext. 226 or page the Animal Rehabilitation Keep at 361-224-0814.